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How to Select the Right Toothpaste For Your Child

In a previous entry, we talked about how to select the right toothbrush for your child. Because brushing is such a vital part of keeping your child’s teeth and gums as healthy as possible, we’ll talk in this issue about how to select the right toothpaste for your child.

Choosing the Right Toothpaste For Your Child

There’s no shortage of choices when it comes to toothpaste. With this list, however, selecting the right choice for your child should be much easier.

Check the ingredients. Not all toothpastes are created equal. For example, most children’s toothpastes do not contain the whitening agents found in so many adult toothpastes. An ingredient to stay away from is sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) as it has been found to cause allergies and painful canker sores in some people.

Make sure it has an ADA or American Dental Association seal. Toothpastes with the ADA seal have passed a host of rigorous screening procedures and have received approval by the ADA.

Choose a flavor that your child will like. While a toothpaste’s flavor has no bearing on its effectiveness, choosing a flavor that your child likes or enjoys will go a long way in making sure that brushing will become a habit they look forward to.

Make sure it includes fluoride.Fluoride use, especially at an early age, can help make your child’s teeth that much stronger. That’s because as younger children are exposed to fluoride, it will become incorporated into the development of their permanent teeth.